Clifford Ruprecht
In over 25 years of practice, Cliff has handled scores of matters of all sizes and complexity, with claims at issue from five figures
to eight. He has tried cases to judgment in every level of Maine's trial courts, has argued appeals in the Law Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the First Circuit and has briefed matters to the U.S. Supreme Court. He also tried cases to award or decision in arbitrations and in front of
state and federal regulatory agencies. As part of his practice, he advises corporate leadership to help them understand and approve legal strategy
in cases of substantial import. He has twice been selected by Best Lawyers as "Lawyer of the Year" in the Portland region: in 2015 for
Bet-the-Company Litigation and in 2024 for Professional Malpractice - Defendants.
Cliff actively serves as a neutral arbitrator and mediator to help parties achieve private resolutions. His main areas of work as a neutral include the areas in which he principally practices as an advocate:
Before he became a lawyer, Cliff earned a Ph.D. in Theology and taught religion at the college level. He regularly advises lawyers on issues of professional ethics and duties, has chaired the Advisory Committee on the Rules of Professional Conduct and was a member of the Task Force that undertook the first wholesale revision of Maine’s attorney ethics rules in three decades.
Cliff actively serves as a neutral arbitrator and mediator to help parties achieve private resolutions. His main areas of work as a neutral include the areas in which he principally practices as an advocate:
- Business dissolutions
- Shareholder, partnership and fiduciary duty
- Non-compete, trade secret and other business torts
- Attorney malpractice and misconduct
- Defamation
- Trust, estate and probate
- Commercial contracts, including insurance coverage
- Personal injury
Before he became a lawyer, Cliff earned a Ph.D. in Theology and taught religion at the college level. He regularly advises lawyers on issues of professional ethics and duties, has chaired the Advisory Committee on the Rules of Professional Conduct and was a member of the Task Force that undertook the first wholesale revision of Maine’s attorney ethics rules in three decades.
Education and Honors
- B.A. Williams College
- Ph.D. University of Chicago Divinity School
- J.D. magna cum laude University of Pennsylvania School of Law
- Editor-in-Chief, University of Pennsylvania Law Review
- American Law Institute, elected member, 2008--
- Best Lawyers in America®, 2015 Portland Lawyer of the Year, Bet-the-Company Litigation
- Best Lawyers in America®, 2024 Portland Lawyer of the Year, Professional Malpractice Litigation
- Chambers USA, Commercial Litigation
- Martindale Hubbell AV Rated
Selected Decisions
- Franchini v. Bangor Publ'g Co., 109 F.4th 13 (1st Cir. 2024): on behalf of Defendant Gannett Co., obtained dismissal and affirmance of defamation claims based on plaintiff's status as limited purpose public figure
- Meridiaen Med. Sys. LLC v. Epix Therapeutics, Inc., 2021 ME 24, 250 A.3d 122: affirming dismissal of claims of aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty and establishing Maine law regarding such tort
- Leadbetter v. Family Fun Mgmt., 2018 Me. Super. LEXIS 34: on behalf of plaintiff defeating motion seeking summary judgment based on ski area operator statutory immunity and lift-ticket release
- In re Hanaford Bros. Co. Customer Data SEcurity Breach Litigation, 2010 ME 93, 4 A.3d 492: on behalf of defendant retailer denial of payment card customer claims following data breach, on grounds that loss of time alone and inconvenience are not cognizable harms under Maine law
- In re Adoption of Spado, 2009 ME 76, 912 A.2d 578: validating adoption of client by her same-sex partner